Finance and Administration Associate – Uganda At Solidaridad Eas & Central Africa

ABOUT SOLIDARIDAD EAST AND CENTRAL AFRICA

Solidaridad is an international solution-oriented civil society organization with over 50 years of experience in developing solutions to make communities more resilient and create more sustainable supply chains. We work throughout the entire value chain to make sustainability the norm. Our innovative solutions support the transition to an inclusive economy that provides sustainable livelihoods with fair and profitable business opportunities. This includes decent working conditions, a fair living wage, and production in balance with nature so that all people can thrive now and for generations to come. Headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, Solidaridad East, and Central Africa has country offices and programmes in Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Uganda, and outreaches in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Burundi, Rwanda, and Cameroon.

Title: Finance and Administration Associate – Uganda
Duration: 1-year contract (extension based on performance)
Reporting line: Finance & Administration Officer – Uganda
Position level: Junior level
Location: Mbale, Uganda

THE PROJECT

Solidaridad is implementing a five-year multinational project dubbed ‘From Climate Victims to Climate Heroes’ that seeks to improve the landscapes and livelihoods of 50,000 smallholder coffee farmers in the Eastern, Northern, Western, Central, and West Nile regions of Uganda through carbon farming and financing. Solidaridad is therefore seeking to recruit a dynamic and innovative professional for the position of Communication Officer.

SUMMARY OF POSITION

Solidaridad seeks to recruit a dynamic and self-motivated individual for the position of Finance and Administration Associate based in Kampala, Uganda. S/he will be responsible for under supervision providing financial management, accounting, and administration support. S/he will support project financial transactions, which include but are not limited to, accounts payable functions to include, including the processing of invoices, expenditures monitoring and financial reporting, bank reconciliation and account analysis, preparation and processing of local tax returns, and budget monitoring. The Finance and Administration Associate will also provide operations and administrative support to the country teams.

POSITION IN THE ORGANIZATION

The Finance and Administration Associate reports to Finance and Administration Manager. Works closely with the Country Manager, Regional Finance Manager, the Project team, and the quality team on Administration.

RESULT AREAS

1. Prepare, code, total, and batch payment requisitions for subsequent checks by the Finance and Administration Officer.
2. Maintain projects General ledger in QuickBooks/ Network system and ensure reconciliations.
3. Prepare payments against authorized requisitions.
4. Prepare and report monthly projects financial reports and budget variance analysis
5. File all financial and Field activity records according to the existing filing system.
6. Ensure reconciliations of staff field travel cash floats and banking of any cash returns.
7. Maintain petty cash account in QuickBooks and make surprise upcountry office petty cash counts.
8. Support partner organizations in financial training in reporting and ensure their reports have adequate supporting documents.
9. Supporting Country operations in human resource management in activities including systems in accordance to the labor law, tax and statutory requirements.
10. Statutory payments such as NSSF, PAYE, and VAT are prepared and paid by the deadlines consistently.
11. Maintain external relationships with service providers to ensure efficiency.
12. Contribute to the organization of meetings, conferences, events, and actions.

Qualifications Requirements:

• Relevant academic level education – Bachelor’s degree or higher – in relevant field (e.g. finance and/or accounting) and the local equivalent of chartered accountant certification
• Minimum four (4) or more years’ progressive professional accounting, financial, and Administration experience, preferably in the non-profit and/or development sector.
• Working experience with an audit firm will be an added advantage.
• Computer literate, proficient in QuickBooks, and comfortable with e-accounting packages
• Demonstrated working experience with the international donor-funded project in East Africa
• Demonstrated proficiency in excel by using automated excel formulas to track unique documents.

Specific Job Requirements:

• Ability to work independently and as a member of a team to support projects and local partners to effectively meet project needs.
• Ability to work effectively with governmental and non-governmental organizations and local communities in achieving project objectives.
• Excellent reporting skills and ability to relate sensitively to diverse groups.
• Self-driven, trustworthy, pleasant, and able to deliver results with minimum supervision.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills (in English and Swahili).
• Excellent critical, creative thinking and analytical skills.
• Experience in program administration, operating procedures, oversight, and monitoring.
• Ability to work with database applications.
• Knowledge of project funding procedures and guidelines.
• Ability to work in diverse situations.
• Solid experience with finance and accounting work in an NGO setting for at least 1 year
• Knowledge of the use of digital accounting systems.
• Excellent computer skills (Excel, word)
• Able to Multi-task.

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